FLEMING ISLAND, Fla. – The man charged with murder in the death of a Fleming Island woman, whose remains were found in a Georgia landfill, was expressionless as he walked into a courtroom on Thursday.
Corey Binderim is charged with murder in the death of Susan Mauldin. The 65-year-old hired Binderim, a contractor, to do work on her home.
Binderim went before a judge Thursday on an unrelated charge of grand theft by construction fraud in Duval County. He was charged with fraud after he was accused of taking a check from a homeowner in Duval County that he was supposed to do work for, but never completed the job. His appearance lasted just minutes, and a trial date for the fraud charge was set for May.
Mauldin’s neighbors told News4Jax they’re happy Binderim is behind bars. They claimed Binderim never did the work he was hired to do at Mauldin’s Clay County home.
READ: Man charged with murder after remains of missing Fleming Island woman found | Missing Clay County woman’s remains found in landfill search
Pat Richie said she and Mauldin’s close friends have been suspicious of Binderim since Mauldin was first reported missing in October.
“When she (Mauldin) was going to meet him, she came over to us and said, ‘I told him that he owes me $12,000. He’s to meet me with a certified check. I’m not going to put up with any more of his nonsense,’” Richie said. “She (Mauldin) said, ‘If he doesn’t do it, I’m going to go to the police.’”
There’s a growing memorial of balloons and and flowers on Mauldin’s doorstep. One card reads: “We love you, Sue.”
Irene Strickland, a longtime friend of Mauldin, said it was difficult to look at Binderim when he walked into court.
“It is hard to see him, but on the other hand, we’re just glad that we’re likely to get more closure to this situation now," Strickland said. "If they had never found her remains, there’s no telling how long this might have lingered and now we feel at least we’re moving along with it.”
As of Thursday evening, Binderim was still in the Duval County jail. It’s expected he will be transferred to Clay County on the charges associated with Mauldin’s death.